Boynton Votes To Buy Three New Garbage Trucks

DIGEST

BOYNTON BEACH — Three newfangled garbage trucks that pick up trash cans with mechanical arms, can be operated by a single city employee and turn tight corners will be plying the streets soon.

After listening to city Director of Public Works Larry Roberts extol the virtues of the trucks and watching a videotape of the mechanical behemoths in action on city streets, city commissioners voted at Tuesday night's city commission meeting to buy three of them this fiscal year.

Roberts said that by next year, about 14,000 of the city's 18,000 residences will be serviced by the trucks, which cost about $152,000 each.

Roberts said the trucks will save the city money, because workers compensation insurance bills are high for garbage collectors. He also said the city has lost several expensive lawsuits involving garbage collectors.

The job, he acknowledged, is taxing on workers who spend their days hoisting heavy cans.

He said the city doesn't plan to lay off any garbage collectors once the new trucks are in place.